Is There Any Encouragement

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I was in a particularly grumpy mood this morning.  I could have made a list of things to complain about. Yet as I began my prayer time and devotional reading I came into a right frame of mind. Soon I was journaling and making a list of things that I am most thankful for. 

As I thought of individuals that I could have complained about my mind went to the words found in Philippians 2:5. 

I turned to Philippians 2 prepared to read of Christ's humility and, as I began to read Philippians 2, I was not prepared for the conviction of the Holy Spirit that followed. 

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? 

Is there any comfort from his love? 

Is there aby fellowship together in the Spirit? 

Is your heart tender and compassionate?

Although these are rhetorical questions shared with the church by Paul, let me invite you to consider them -let me encourage you to ponder them. 

Are you enjoying the encouragement - the comfort - the fellowship - of Christ's presence in your life? 

Are your thoughts - your motives - your actions marked by tenderness and compassion? 

Do you have the mindset of Christ? 

 

The Acts 2 Church: the progression then and now

I started reading Acts 2 this morning and then set out to determine what the Acts 2 Church really looked like, or rather, what the progression looked like on and around the day of Pentecost into the first days of the Christian church. Below is what I observed:

1. The 12 Apostles were gathered together waiting for the Spirit of God. (vs. 1)
2. The Holy Spirit fulfills Christ's promise and fills the 12 Apostles. (vs. 2-4)
3. A crowd is drawn to the group of leaders because they recognize and experience something different. (vs. 5-13)
4. Peter addresses the crowd that has gathered around them. (vs. 14-36)
• Explaining (vs. 14-21)
• Teaching (vs. 22-35)
• Response/Call (vs. 36)
5. The crowd respond in question to Peter's message. (vs. 37)
6. Peter further explains and clarifies the needed response. (vs. 38-40)
7. 3,000 people accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ and are baptized into His family. (vs. 41)
8. The people became devoted followers. (vs. 42)
• They were devoted to the teaching of the Apostles.
• They were devoted to fellowship with one another.
• They were devoted to prayer.
9. The people were filled with awe and experience many miracles. (vs. 43)
10. The people developed Spiritual disciplines. (vs. 44-47)
• They were together and shared commonalities. (vs. 44)
• They gave to anyone as they had a need. (vs. 45)
• They met together every day. (vs. 46)
• They ate together with gladness and sincerity. (vs. 46)
• They praised God. (vs. 47)
11. God added to their number every day. (vs. 47)

Now, if you take Acts 2 as "prescriptive", than you believe that we, as a church, should follow the words and direction of the Acts 2 church to the letter and that the church today should look exactly like the Acts 2 church in order to be successful and reach others for Christ. On the other hand, if you believe that this passage is "descriptive" than you believe that it is merely describing a model of the church and that as times and society changes, we as Christians and as a church need to adapt in order to reach others for Christ. Further, if you believe that it is merely descriptive than you must decide how the church should adjust and adapt our methods so that we can reach more people for Christ and therefore fulfill the great commission as found in Matthew 28:18-20.

I take this passage as descriptive and therefore I feel it necessary to determine how our church must adjust and adapt to reach more people in our culture for Jesus Christ. Some of these listed below are foundational and must not be changed, others can be changed based upon the local church body and local culture. This is what I believe God is calling us to:

1. The church leadership must continue to gather together waiting for the Spirit of God.
2. The church leadership must not move forward until they are filled with the Spirit of God.
3. People will be drawn in to the church (attractional) but they also must be invited in (missional).
4. Through the explaining and teaching of the Scripture and the needed response, people will respond. 
5. The response is to be an acceptance, repentance, and baptism - nothing less.
6. As believers, we are to become devoted followers.
• We are to be devoted to teaching.
• We are to be devoted to fellowship.
• We are to be devoted to prayer.
7. As followers, we are to develop Spiritual disciplines.
• We are to give of ourselves and of our blessing as we see a need. (James 4:17)
• We are to praise God with glad and sincere hearts. (John 4:23-24)
8. God will add to our numbers regularly. (Matthew 21:43)

Glee/What People Need

 

This past Tuesday the show "Glee" was on and although I do not normally watch it, the storyline this week was that of religion and spirituality. So, not only did I stay in the room and on the channel, I actually paid attention (something I do not always do).

  

In this episode, one of the characters makes a grilled cheese sandwich and when he opens the grill sees what he believes to be an image of Jesus. He then deems this "grilled cheesus". He proceeds to pray to the sandwich, asking it for various signs and confirmations of control. Although this opening made me skeptical that this was yet another television show that was trying to bash the name and the image of Christ, I stuck around and gave Glee more of a chance this week.

The most basic issue I had with this portion of the episode was that it was as if someone with no understanding whatsoever was attempting to explain Jesus Christ, Christianity, and everything about faith, prayer, belief, etc. As one fellow blogger wrote "I suppose it would be like me, an Asian American, writing about what it’s like to be black; I can research and I can see the cultural or societal view of being black, but it would be quite amazing if I could write about the true experience."

These words explained where the writers of this show were coming from, because a basic level of research had been done, a cultural or social view had been considered, and then off to the writing boards they went. Yet how can I say this? I do not know if the writers, the producers, or the actors of the show Glee are born-again Christians or if they make claim to any faith at all.

Yet this same basic approach is made by so-called Christians everyday, those that claim to follow Christ and have a faith in Him. So many are not truly experiencing the saving grace, the fellowship, and the presence of Jesus Christ and His Spirit within their lives. Yet they are "Christians".

We are told in Matthew 7 not to judge, and for this reason we leave this alone. Who are we to judge those around us that claim the name of Jesus and yet do not have the depth of understanding, the depth of relationship, or the depth of desire to truly know Him? We so easily forget that we are to hold one another accountable, that we are to "consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds" (Hebrews 10:24 ), that we are to "encourage one another and build each other up"  (1 Thess. 5:11), and that, if we are truly a part of the body of Christ, we are all a part of the same body (1 Cor. 12).

Back to Glee, as the program went on various situations played into the storyline, "church and state", "religion in school", "homosexuality", "death", "the afterlife", "family", and several more. The basic conclusion to the episode was that, we all need to have faith in something, we all need to believe in something. I can definitely get behind this on the most basic level. I don't see how anyone can live in the world and honestly believe that there in no "higher power", that there is no God. Further, I don't see why anyone would continue to live if they honestly believe that there is no God and no hope after they pass away from this world.

We all need to have faith in something. True! Yet the issue in our world today is that so many have a faith in something, and that something is anything. What people NEED in our world today is a faith in The Living God, The God that does not change, The God that created, loves, and sustains everything. What people NEED in our world today is a lasting relationship with The God that offers forgiveness for yesterday, joy for today, and confidence for tomorrow. What people NEED in our world today is God!